(Newser)
–
The only American POW held in Afghanistan is now free—but experts believe it could take Bowe Bergdahl a very long time to get over the physical and psychological damage of his years in captivity. It's not clear whether he was tortured by his captors, but he is physically weakened and experts say that at a minimum, he would have faced the fear of death daily at the hands of a group known for its ruthlessness. For now, the 28-year-old is at a hospital in Germany and military officials say he will need a lot of medical treatment and counseling before he can go home to Idaho, the New York Times reports. The Guardian adds, by way of his father, that Bergdahl is struggling to speak English after so many years in captivity. To wit, his father sent him a message—in Pashtu. More:

In a move certain to increase the anger of Republicans who opposed the release of senior Taliban commanders from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar in exchange for the soldier, Taliban chief Mullah Omar has made a rare public statement praising the deal, the BBC reports. "I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation," he said.

The White House has praised Bergdahl's release, but some soldiers from his platoon want him to face trial for desertion, CNN finds. There are conflicting accounts of how he was captured in 2009, but platoon members say he walked away from his post while on guard duty—and at least six other soldiers were killed during searches for him. A senior military official, however, says it is unlikely Bergdahl will face charges after his ordeal. "Five years is enough," he says.

Another critic of the release: the Afghan government. "No government can transfer citizens of a country to a third country as prisoners," the country's foreign ministry complained in a statement. Senior Afghan officials see the deal as another sign of a US wish to rapidly disengage from Afghanistan, and fear the freed commanders will return to step up the insurgency as most foreign troops prepare to leave the country, reports Reuters.

The reason why most nations have a policy of not negotiating with terrorists is because the Geneva Conventions and the Laws of War demand that combatants fight in uniform with insignia or else they do NOT have the rights of POWs under the Geneva Conventions. To give unlawful combatants the same rights and privileges of those conforming to the Law of War, and not to shoot them summarily, only encourages more people to fight as terrorists. But since the Islamists cherish and believe in martyrdom, and eagerly seek it, death threats to true believers obviously doesn't work. IN addition, we also have special forces who fight in civilian clothes and we don't want them summarily executed either. So we have this new situation with Muslim terrorists, who have no fear of death, which changes the equation from what it was in earlier times.

jgarbuz

Jun 2, 2014 11:00 AM CDT

Well, I only hope he appreciates freedom in America more now that he's experienced a few years of captivity. Those who do not appreciate freedom in American should experience a few years of captivity to compare and contrast.

$103359148

Jun 2, 2014 9:19 AM CDT

He's going to milk this for everything it's worth. Watch him pull the "PTSD victim" card.